PRATT- Law enforcement authorities in Pratt County successfully completed a manhunt with an arrest on Thursday.
According to the Sheriff’s office, Pratt County deputy made a traffic stop 3 miles south and 6 miles east of Pratt on a vehicle that had been reported as suspicious and looking around a rural residence.
A passenger immediately jumped out of the vehicle and ran.
The suspect, identified by the office as Shawn Hammond, 24, Pratt, was wanted on Felony charges for possession of firearms and controlled substances. A perimeter was in place within minutes and roads in the area were blocked.
K-9 units from Barber County, Pawnee County, and the Kansas Highway Patrol as well as officers from all of those agencies and the Pratt County Sheriff’s Office searched the area for over 3 hours.
Just after 3:30 p.m. the suspect was spotted at a residence drinking from a garden hose about a mile from where he ran from the vehicle.
The suspect ran into a wooded, pasture area and was quickly apprehended.
Breaking ground for KU Med Center’s new education building Thursday were, from left, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer, and Dr. Robert Simari, executive dean of the School of Medicine MIKE SHERRY HEARTLAND HEALTH MONITOR
By Mike Sherry
When Dr. David Zamierowski was training as a physician in the 1960s, he tried out his new skills on living patients.
“I am so grateful to those poor souls, who knew it was my first time, but graciously allowed me to practice on them,” Zamierowski said Thursday at a groundbreaking ceremony for the University of Kansas Medical Center’s new health education building.
“But in the back of my mind, I always knew there had to be a better way, and when I first saw simulation, I realized that this was the answer.”
Zamierowski did his residency at KU Med and went on to a 25-year career in plastic surgery in the Kansas City area before retiring a dozen years ago.
His fealty to KU Med and his zeal for simulation are what brought him to the outdoor ceremony Thursday. He was joined by university and elected officials, including Gov. Sam Brownback, as earth was turned for the $75 million building at the corner of 39th Street and Rainbow Boulevard in Kansas City, Kansas.
The Zamierowskis were among private donors who kicked in a total $37 million, including $25 million from the Hall Family Foundation.
Other funding comes from $25 million in state bonds and $15 million from KU Med itself.
Construction is expected to begin next month and to be completed in summer 2017.
The 171,000-square-foot building will enable KU to train 50 additional medical students each year at its combined facilities statewide. KU now graduates 211 medical graduates annually at its three campuses across the state.
Ninety of the state’s 105 counties are medically underserved, according to the university. Current estimates project that 30 percent of the state’s physician workforce will retire or leave their practices within the next decade.
The construction gets underway just as a new patient tower for KU Hospital is rising at the corner of 39th Street and Cambridge streets, immediately east.
The education building “expands the important role that KU Medical Center plays in ensuring that Kansans have access to highly trained doctors and nurses,” Brownback said at the ceremony.
“We are going to train the next generation of physicians for this state and for this nation that are going to be fabulous, there are going to be more (of them), there are going to be more in rural areas … and it’s going to be a fabulous gift to the people of Kansas,” he added.
The building replaces an outdated facility that was built in 1976 and no longer suits the demands of current medical training. It will also enable a new type of medical education stressing interdisciplinary training in which physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other trainees learn together.
Some of that joint training will involve law students, said Dr. Doug Girod, executive vice chancellor of KU Med.
Fourth-year medical student Kirsten Devin, 26, of Omaha, said she and fellow students were elated when they heard a new education building might be in the offing.
“For as long as I have been here, and I suspect much longer than that, students on this campus have dreamed of a collaborative education with peers from all different professions and the place where this could effectively occur,” she said. “It is our dream that this building will become a place where future generations of brilliant Jayhawks come together to explore each other’s minds and also to enjoy each other’s company.”
Mike Sherry is a reporter for Heartland Health Monitor, a news collaboration focusing on health issues and their impact in Missouri and Kansas.
HODGEMAN COUNTY – A Kansas man died in an accident just before 10:30p.m. on Thursday in Hodgeman County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2011 Chevy Cruze driven by Donnie Lee Addison Groth, 22, Garden City, was eastbound on Kansas 156 just east of U.S. 283.
The Chevy drifted into the westbound lane and struck a semi driven by Terry L. Nusser, 63, Dodge City.
Both vehicles came to rest in the south ditch.
Groth was transported to the Hodgeman County Hospital where he died early Friday.
Nusser was taken by air medical transport to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita.
Nusser was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
NEW YORK (AP) — You, your mom, your grandma and elementary school buddy Lawrence might have been some of the billion people who logged in to Facebook on Monday — the first time that has happened in a single day. That’s right, one billion people, or one-seventh of the Earth’s population.
It was a big symbolic milestone for the world’s biggest online social network, which boasts nearly 1.5 billion users who log in at least once a month. CEO Mark Zuckerberg marked the occasion with a Facebook post.
Most of the billion people who logged in on Monday were outside the U.S. and Canada. Of Facebook’s overall users, more than 83 percent come from other countries. This is also where Facebook’s next billions of users will likely come from as it grows.
WICHITA -The Kansas woman who was previously charged with her involvement in the May shooting death of Salina teenager Allie Saum is now federal custody, according to James Cross, Public Information Officer for the U.S. Attorneys Office in Wichita.
In a federal criminal complaint filed on August 24th in the United States District Court in Wichita, 21-year-old Azucena Garcia-Ferniza was charged with one count of possession of a firearm by an illegal alien in the United States.
The complaint alleges that Garcia-Ferniza, a citizen of Mexico, is illegally and unlawfully in the United States was knowingly and intentionally in possession of a .45 caliber Glock 30 handgun on or about May 7, 2015.
The handgun is believed to the murder weapon used in the May 6th shooting death of Salina teenager Allie Saum. According to an arrest affidavit, Garcia-Ferniza was in possession of the weapon at the time of her arrest on May 7th. She was charged with felony obstruction by Saline County authorities for her involvement in the canse
Garcia-Ferniza was taken into custody by federal authorities at the Holiday Inn Express, 755 W. Diamond Drive, on Wednesday afternoon.
Allie Saum was shot on the evening of May 6th in what prosecutors have called a case of mistaken identity. Police say the shooting was the result of a fight that occurred earlier that same day. The suspects were part of a group of people that were out seeking revenge for the fight. One of the suspects mistakenly identified the male driver of a pickup, later identified as Saum’s boyfriend, as someone that had been involved in the fight. Shots were fired into the pickup in the 800 block of Russell and Saum, who was in the passenger’s side of the truck, was struck in the head.
SALINA – Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating an Ottawa County man for allegedly showing pictures of sex acts to a toddler girl in Salina last month.
On Thursday, Salina police arrested Christopher Postlewait, 22, Culver, on requested charges of promoting obscenity to a minor.
Postlewait is acquainted with the child’s family, according to police.
A family member of the girl reported the incident to police.
Vehicles involved in the accident -photo courtesy KMBC-TV
KANSAS CITY- A Kansas man died in an accident just before 11p.m. on Thursday in Wyandotte County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1988 Honda Civic driven by Fatimath Jones, 37, Kansas City, was southbound on 7th Street at Freeman Court.
The Honda made a left turn in front of a Kansas City Kansas Patrol 2013 Ford Explorer that was northbound on 7th Street on the way to another call.
The Ford struck the Honda in the front passenger side door.
KCK police officer Angela Janine Parriott, 31, Bonner Springs, Jones and a passenger in the Honda Wendell L. Hall, 50, Kansas City, were transported to KU Medical Center.
Hall was not wearing a seat belt died from his injuries, according to the KHP.
HUTCHINSON – The trial for a Kansas teen accused of setting a fire to the family home that killed his mother and 11-year-old sister has been continued indefinitely.
On Thursday, the defense for 15-year-old Sam Vonachen was granted a motion citing the defendant suffers from a mental defect.
Vonachen faces six counts, including two counts of first-degree murder for the September 2013 fatal fire.
In court Thursday, despite two evaluations citing no mental deficiency, Judge Trish Rose ruled that such a defense would be allowed.
The next hearing for Vonachen is now set for Sept. 28, at which time his mental state will be argued. Once that is done, Vonachen could be sent to Larned State Hospital for another evaluation. No trial date will be set until the conclusion of that hearing.
With Thursday’s ruling, prosecuting attorney Steve Maxwell informed the court that a plea offer made to the defendant August 13 was being withdrawn.
That offer would have had Vonachen plead guilty to two counts of first-degree murder with the other four counts dismissed.
Vonachen has declined the offer and, again, stated such in court on Thursday.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita officials say they are planning an urban wetlands park in northwest Wichita.
Mayor Jeff Longwell announced Thursday the city will use more than 40 acres of land to create the park and public nature area. The land is being donated by Slawson Cos., which is planning a mixed-use development adjacent to the property.
The Wichita Eagle reports the city council must approve the land donation, which could happen next week.
Longwell says the park could include walking and jogging trails and a boardwalk, with other nature-related activities, such as bird watching and a fishing pond.
Part of the park and commercial development could be ready by fall of next year.
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A 39-year-old registered sex offender faces nearly three years in prison for photographing women in a bathroom at Johnson County Community College.
Saysavat Noy Bounyadeth of Lenexa pleaded guilty in July to three felony counts of invasion of privacy.
The Kansas City Star reports that the judge sentenced Bounyadeth to 17 months in prison on the first count and nine and eight months on the others.
Campus police arrested him April 27 after a woman noticed him using his cellphone to photograph her inside a restroom on the Overland Park campus.
Bounyadeth’s arrest in April came about a month after he was released from prison. He was imprisoned last year after his probation was revoked for failing to complete sex offender treatment in a “sexually motivated” burglary.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 45-year-old man has died after his car crashed into the side of a house in Wichita.
According to Wichita police Lt. James Espinoza, a crash was reported around 5:38 a.m. Thursday. Espinoza said a sedan crashed into a house and caught fire. No one in the house was injured.
According to authorities, witnesses say a man pulled the driver out of the burning car before leaving the scene. Espinoza said police believe the man was a Good Samaritan.
The identity of the driver has not been released pending notification of his family.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The second of two men found guilty in the killing of a 23-year-old man in Wichita has been sentenced to about two years in prison.
The Wichita Eagle reports 38-year-old Jeremy Anspach was sentenced Wednesday to 27 months in prison for his role in the death of Eric Salazar. According to prosecutors, Anspach drove 25-year-old Manuel Rivas to Salazar’s apartment on Nov. 6, 2013 where the victim was shot in the head.
Authorities say Anspach guarded the door whole Rivas confronted Salazar about money.
Rivas was sentenced to more than 33 years in prison for his role in the slaying.
From left to right: David Barfield, Dick Wolfe and Jeff Fassett(Photo courtesy RRCA)
Kansas Department of Agriculture
LINCOLN, NEB.–The states of Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska reached an agreement today, Aug. 27, that will ensure more certainty to the basin’s water users in both Nebraska and Kansas. The agreement, in the form of a Resolution approved by the Republican River Compact Administration (RRCA), was achieved through collaborative negotiations that began in April 2015 and will provide timely notice and access to water for the 2016 irrigation season.
The agreement provides additional flexibility for Nebraska to achieve its Compact obligations while ensuring that the interests of Kansas are protected. The additional flexibility will allow the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources to provide a portion of the forecasted compliance water early in 2016 and provide any additional shortfall later in 2016 and through April 1, 2017. This also provides some improved operational predictability for Nebraska water users in that water users will not be subjected to closing notices related to the 2016 irrigation season.
The 2016 agreement builds upon the agreement reached for the 2015 irrigation season with further beneficial developments for water users. This agreement provides more advanced notice to irrigators in the basin of compliance activities that will likely occur in 2016, allowing for an advanced planning period producers desire for their efficiently run operations.
The States’ agreement is contingent upon the Nebraska and the Kansas Bostwick Irrigation Districts, working with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, – reaching agreement on modifications of certain contract provisions contained in their Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) also adopted last year. Thus, ensuring the availability of the water pumped from Nebraska augmentation projects for RRCA compliance.
Current RRCA Chairman, Gordon W. “Jeff” Fassett, Director of the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, said, “Today’s agreement is good news for Nebraska water users and represents the continuation of the cooperative and positive collaboration we’ve fostered between our states as we work to find mutually agreeable solutions that best serve our citizens. Additionally, we are hopeful that this positive momentum will continue to move us closer to the goal of securing a long-term agreement. With significantly more planning time, Nebraska’s water users will have greater certainty in their water supply and make the best decisions for their operations.”
“We are pleased to collaborate with Nebraska and Colorado as we continue to develop balanced and fair water solutions benefiting all of the basin’s water users that reflects good water management,” said Kansas Commissioner David Barfield. “This fourth in our series of recent agreements with Nebraska allows Kansas to make effective use of its water supply in 2016 and allows the states additional time and experience with Nebraska’s compliance activities as we continue to move toward long-term agreement.”
Colorado Commissioner Dick Wolfe said, “This agreement exemplifies the success that can be achieved through collaboration and cooperation of the RRCA and the water users in the basin.”
The RRCA is comprised of one member each from the States of Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska. The purpose of the RRCA is to administer the Republican River Compact. This Compact allocates the waters of the Republican River among the three states. The next RRCA annual meeting is scheduled for August of 2016 and will be hosted by the State of Colorado in a location of their choice.
